CPUC Resources Committee

In 1970, the Resources Committee of the CPUC was established to “consider questions of general policy concerning the procurement and management of the University’s financial resources.” The Resources Committee is made up of representatives of the faculty, undergraduate student body, graduate student body and staff.

The Resources Committee has a broad reach. It considers issues related to the University’s endowment portfolio, including concerns related to investment responsibility and socially responsible investments, under the provisions of a set of guidelines established by the University Trustees in 1997. It is also responsible for providing a forum for “continuing review of the University’s policy and practices” regarding labor issues, including fair labor standards, in the manufacture of products licensed by Princeton and bearing the University’s name and/or logo.

The Resources Committee is empowered to review issues raised by the University community in those circumstances where there is “considerable, thoughtful and sustained campus interest," on an issue or issues where a core University value is at stake.

With regard to investment issues, the key role of the endowment is to support the University's teaching and research mission. The central purposes of the University are defined as the discovery of new knowledge through scholarship and research, the teaching and general development of students, and the transmission of knowledge and learning to society at large. The values inherent in the University’s mission are the support of free inquiry and free expression within the academic community and the freedom to teach and learn. All members of the community share responsibility for securing and sustaining the conditions conducive to these freedoms. As a community, we respect the dignity, individuality and freedom of each member. At the same time, we value a sense of shared experience and common purpose. The use and management of University resources are to advance its educational mission.

The University’s mission represents a key social good, and the funds donated to the University have been invested and stewarded over years to support the current students and faculty as well as future generations of students and scholars. Typically, the University’s endowment is invested to maximize the total long-term return on investments. From time to time, however, it may be necessary to consider other factors in making investment decisions. The University Resources Committee provides the venue for determining when it is appropriate to consider investment-driven social responsibility issues while balancing the need to support the University core teaching and research mission.